A Single Word - Chapter Eight
Title: A Single Word - Chapter Eight
Pairing: JongKey. Also some Minkey.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst, bullying, mentions of abuse.
Summary: The night a strange new person enters his life, everything changes for Key.
Word Count: 1,804
Notes: Not really sure what I think about this chapter. At first, I was unhappy with it, but now I feel kind of neutral. Oh well, that's writing when you're not feeling well I guess. I wanted to get the out as soon as possible, but it's still late. I have written two fics between the last update and this one though, so maybe that's why. I will post them soon as well ^.^ I hope my readers enjoy this update.
Spots For: hurryupthecakes, ezri_sun, ryotanfan29, and nurmee ^.^
01| 02| 03| 04| 05| 06| 07
After spending several hours anticipating, riding in a car, sitting in a waiting room and then talking to a woman he'd never met before in his life -granted he didn't end up doing all that much talking- Jonghyun was more than ready to get back to the closest place to normal he had now. The comfort of his guest room, the comfort of Key. What he didn't expect was when he was dropped off at the door of the Kim house, was to find Key inside with Minho. Even more so, he would have never thought he'd find them kissing on Key's bed.
Shocked. That was how he had felt when he saw them. He wasn't stupid. It was obvious what was going on. Suddenly, everything seemed a bit clearer, how they acted toward each other, how they repeatedly snuck off together. Jonghyun didn't really know what to think about it, but he knew his chest clenched tightly when Key shut the door in his face. He knew that when he thought about the two of them continuing in there, it made him feel frustrated and confused. Despite those feeling, Jonghyun moved away from the door and back into the living room. He chewed on his lips and paced slightly, before standing still. He was in the middle of the room, and he knew it would look weird if someone walked in, but he couldn't really bring himself to move. Then he heard Key raise his voice. He sounded angry, and Jonghyun's body tensed in response. Minho's voice also got louder, angrier, and Jonghyun almost felt guilty for interrupting their kiss and making them fight. Almost.
The shouts made him feel really uncomfortable and on edge, but before he could make any sort of decision about whether to hide in his room, or interrupt them again, Key's door was reopened. Jonghyun turned slightly to see Minho storming out and slamming the door behind him. Minho's gaze connected with his only moments later. There was an awkward pause, and Jonghyun felt his eyes narrow and his eyebrows draw down into a frown. Minho scoffed and started walking again.
As he passed Jonghyun, his hand shot out and shoved at his shoulder, a warning of his own. But it caught Jonghyun off guard and he felt his balance fail him as he stumbled back, hitting the shelf and then landing on his ass. He winced as pain shot up through his back, then almost jumped out of his skin when a loud crash echoed beside him. He moved his eyes to stare at Minho through a grimace. Minho stared back at him with wide eyes. He made a move toward Jonghyun, but then stopped, doubt flooding his eyes clearly. Backing away again, Minho turned and fled out the door, closing it loudly behind him.
Jonghyun felt his stomach twist with fear when he looked beside him to see one of Mrs. Kim's ceramic animals broken. The bruise he felt forming on his lower back was nothing compared to the guilt he felt about breaking something she had liked so much.
After spending the better part of an hour trying to put the thing back together, Jonghyun worriedly sat it on the table and felt his body almost vibrate with fear. Surely this would be it. They would kick him out for breaking something of theirs. He even thought about putting it back on the shelf or tossing it out to hide it, but he couldn't bring himself to do that either.
Key still hadn't come out of his room when his mother got back. When she saw Jonghyun standing in the kitchen's doorway staring hard at the floor, she jumped a little, making him feel even worse for surprising her. When she found out about the figure, she forgave him and commended him for telling her what happened and for trying to fix it. Jonghyun didn't really know how to react. He'd never gotten such a positive reaction for doing something bad, but then he thought maybe it was just because they were all so careful around him. It was like they were afraid he would break, or snap. He remembered how after a while his step mother was always extremely careful around that man. She was always afraid of his temper. Was that what it was like here? Were they afraid of him?
Key had seemed surprised that he had knocked over the figure, but despite his piercing gaze that said he suspected it was more than that, Jonghyun never said anything about Minho. He didn't really know why. It wasn't like he wanted to protect him, he just couldn't say it.
So nothing happened further. Jonghyun couldn't bring himself to ask Key about any of it, and Key didn't say a word. In fact, he was a lot more quiet than usual, keeping to his room, and almost avoiding Jonghyun completely. He felt more alone than he had since getting closer to Key, but he didn't really know what to do about it. On Monday, the last thing Jonghyun wanted to do was go back to school. He knew what waited for him there, but even worse was he didn't know how things would be with Key and his friends. But Key's mother woke them up, and Jonghyun didn't have the heart to tell her bright, smiling face that he didn't want to go.
Going to school was just as awkward as he'd feared. Key walked quietly a couple steps in front of him, and there was a stiffness in his body that put Jonghyun on edge. The time before, when Key had told him to speak what he was thinking, came back to his immediate thoughts. He bit his lip nervously and opened his mouth, a little surprised himself when sound actually came out, "Key?"
The other boy's head snapped around, his eyes widened with surprise and curiosity. "What is it?" he asked, his voice uncertain.
"I'm sorry, about Friday." Jonghyun's eyes fell to the ground in front of his feet. He didn't want to meet Key's gaze now.
Key sighed loudly in response before pausing to fall into step beside Jonghyun. "Don't worry about it. As long as you don't say anything to anyone, it will be fine."
The smile on his face made Jonghyun smile back in relief, happy that Key wasn't too mad at him. Still, something was nagging at him. "You don't want anyone to know because a lot of people will hate you for it, right?"
Key's smile was tight and small as he half-heartedly nodded. "Something like that."
Once at school, the small amount of reassurance he got from Key was pretty much blown away by the dread of spending another day with the kids he'd grown to resent pretty quickly after starting school again. He walked to his seat without looking at anyone too closely, his eyes glued stoically to the wall at the back of the room, and then at the front once he'd sat down.
"Hey, the mute is back," one kid called from the other side of the room.
"Can't believe they haven't kicked you out yet," the boy behind him practically hissed into his ear. Jonghyun closed his eyes, took a deep breath and waited for the teacher to start class.
In the second class of the day, they sat at tables instead of desks. It was normally two people to one table. Jonghyun always sat alone, or at least always had up until now.
"Is this seat open?"
Jonghyun looked up and saw a head with hair dyed an ash blonde. He smiled somewhat uncertainly and shuffled his feet. Jonghyun could only nod, because it was, but he wasn't really sure he actually wanted anyone to sit there. He couldn't remember this boy, he thought, as the guy sat down next to him.
"I'm new, if you hadn't noticed." Oh. That was why. The boy paused before adding, "I'm Taemin. What's your name?"
"Jonghyun," he said quietly, somewhat afraid of drawing attention to himself. He actually considered telling the guy he should find someone else to sit by, because he would likely only bring him trouble, but he couldn't. The friendly smile that lit up Taemin's face was actually comforting.
"Cool," Taemin responded while fiddling with his notebook. "I hope we can be friends, Jonghyun."
He couldn't stop the way his pulse raced with excitement at those words, even when his brain was telling him to be careful still. He didn't know if he could trust this guy or not.
By lunchtime, Jonghyun found out that Taemin was in most of his classes in the morning, something he didn't mind yet. Taemin was still acting as friendly as ever, and the other kids seemed more interested in checking out the new guy than messing with him. He didn't feel completely optimistic, but the day was definitely starting to get better.
He had just been walking towards Key's usual eating spot when he noticed how the atmosphere seemed to change when he got closer. Key was near where they usually sat, but not quite there, talking to Onew in a hushed voice. When he saw Jonghyun he shook his head and signaled him to wait. Jonghyun felt his grip tighten slightly on his food as he wondered where Minho was, if they were still fighting. He could still feel the slight bruise on his back where he'd hit the shelf. Even though it wasn't too bad, he was still angry, but more about Key than himself.
"Hey, there you are," came Taemin's cheerful voice, stepping up beside him. "Where do you usually eat? I'm so lost. I have no idea where to go."
"I'll eat with you," Jonghyun said quietly, and Taemin beamed at him. "My usual spot is taken. Let's find a different one."
During lunch, Jonghyun found out a lot more about his new classmate, and it was actually somewhat distracting from thoughts of Key. Taemin apparently transferred because he was having problems with some of his classmates. He wanted to start out fresh, be somebody that he wasn't ashamed of. So, he had dyed his hair and decided to be a different person. Jonghyun thought he made it sound easier than it had to be, changing like that.
"I'm already doing good though. I've made one friend, haven't I?"
Jonghyun couldn't help but smile. Taemin was actually kind of cute, and he didn't make Jonghyun feel inferior or strange. It was kind of weird how the way Taemin looked at him almost made him feel normal, like he didn't see him like everyone else did, and in that way, he could almost forget about it himself. Maybe it would be okay to make friends with someone like him, maybe.
Chapter Nine
Pairing: JongKey. Also some Minkey.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst, bullying, mentions of abuse.
Summary: The night a strange new person enters his life, everything changes for Key.
Word Count: 1,804
Notes: Not really sure what I think about this chapter. At first, I was unhappy with it, but now I feel kind of neutral. Oh well, that's writing when you're not feeling well I guess. I wanted to get the out as soon as possible, but it's still late. I have written two fics between the last update and this one though, so maybe that's why. I will post them soon as well ^.^ I hope my readers enjoy this update.
Spots For: hurryupthecakes, ezri_sun, ryotanfan29, and nurmee ^.^
01| 02| 03| 04| 05| 06| 07
After spending several hours anticipating, riding in a car, sitting in a waiting room and then talking to a woman he'd never met before in his life -granted he didn't end up doing all that much talking- Jonghyun was more than ready to get back to the closest place to normal he had now. The comfort of his guest room, the comfort of Key. What he didn't expect was when he was dropped off at the door of the Kim house, was to find Key inside with Minho. Even more so, he would have never thought he'd find them kissing on Key's bed.
Shocked. That was how he had felt when he saw them. He wasn't stupid. It was obvious what was going on. Suddenly, everything seemed a bit clearer, how they acted toward each other, how they repeatedly snuck off together. Jonghyun didn't really know what to think about it, but he knew his chest clenched tightly when Key shut the door in his face. He knew that when he thought about the two of them continuing in there, it made him feel frustrated and confused. Despite those feeling, Jonghyun moved away from the door and back into the living room. He chewed on his lips and paced slightly, before standing still. He was in the middle of the room, and he knew it would look weird if someone walked in, but he couldn't really bring himself to move. Then he heard Key raise his voice. He sounded angry, and Jonghyun's body tensed in response. Minho's voice also got louder, angrier, and Jonghyun almost felt guilty for interrupting their kiss and making them fight. Almost.
The shouts made him feel really uncomfortable and on edge, but before he could make any sort of decision about whether to hide in his room, or interrupt them again, Key's door was reopened. Jonghyun turned slightly to see Minho storming out and slamming the door behind him. Minho's gaze connected with his only moments later. There was an awkward pause, and Jonghyun felt his eyes narrow and his eyebrows draw down into a frown. Minho scoffed and started walking again.
As he passed Jonghyun, his hand shot out and shoved at his shoulder, a warning of his own. But it caught Jonghyun off guard and he felt his balance fail him as he stumbled back, hitting the shelf and then landing on his ass. He winced as pain shot up through his back, then almost jumped out of his skin when a loud crash echoed beside him. He moved his eyes to stare at Minho through a grimace. Minho stared back at him with wide eyes. He made a move toward Jonghyun, but then stopped, doubt flooding his eyes clearly. Backing away again, Minho turned and fled out the door, closing it loudly behind him.
Jonghyun felt his stomach twist with fear when he looked beside him to see one of Mrs. Kim's ceramic animals broken. The bruise he felt forming on his lower back was nothing compared to the guilt he felt about breaking something she had liked so much.
After spending the better part of an hour trying to put the thing back together, Jonghyun worriedly sat it on the table and felt his body almost vibrate with fear. Surely this would be it. They would kick him out for breaking something of theirs. He even thought about putting it back on the shelf or tossing it out to hide it, but he couldn't bring himself to do that either.
Key still hadn't come out of his room when his mother got back. When she saw Jonghyun standing in the kitchen's doorway staring hard at the floor, she jumped a little, making him feel even worse for surprising her. When she found out about the figure, she forgave him and commended him for telling her what happened and for trying to fix it. Jonghyun didn't really know how to react. He'd never gotten such a positive reaction for doing something bad, but then he thought maybe it was just because they were all so careful around him. It was like they were afraid he would break, or snap. He remembered how after a while his step mother was always extremely careful around that man. She was always afraid of his temper. Was that what it was like here? Were they afraid of him?
Key had seemed surprised that he had knocked over the figure, but despite his piercing gaze that said he suspected it was more than that, Jonghyun never said anything about Minho. He didn't really know why. It wasn't like he wanted to protect him, he just couldn't say it.
So nothing happened further. Jonghyun couldn't bring himself to ask Key about any of it, and Key didn't say a word. In fact, he was a lot more quiet than usual, keeping to his room, and almost avoiding Jonghyun completely. He felt more alone than he had since getting closer to Key, but he didn't really know what to do about it. On Monday, the last thing Jonghyun wanted to do was go back to school. He knew what waited for him there, but even worse was he didn't know how things would be with Key and his friends. But Key's mother woke them up, and Jonghyun didn't have the heart to tell her bright, smiling face that he didn't want to go.
Going to school was just as awkward as he'd feared. Key walked quietly a couple steps in front of him, and there was a stiffness in his body that put Jonghyun on edge. The time before, when Key had told him to speak what he was thinking, came back to his immediate thoughts. He bit his lip nervously and opened his mouth, a little surprised himself when sound actually came out, "Key?"
The other boy's head snapped around, his eyes widened with surprise and curiosity. "What is it?" he asked, his voice uncertain.
"I'm sorry, about Friday." Jonghyun's eyes fell to the ground in front of his feet. He didn't want to meet Key's gaze now.
Key sighed loudly in response before pausing to fall into step beside Jonghyun. "Don't worry about it. As long as you don't say anything to anyone, it will be fine."
The smile on his face made Jonghyun smile back in relief, happy that Key wasn't too mad at him. Still, something was nagging at him. "You don't want anyone to know because a lot of people will hate you for it, right?"
Key's smile was tight and small as he half-heartedly nodded. "Something like that."
Once at school, the small amount of reassurance he got from Key was pretty much blown away by the dread of spending another day with the kids he'd grown to resent pretty quickly after starting school again. He walked to his seat without looking at anyone too closely, his eyes glued stoically to the wall at the back of the room, and then at the front once he'd sat down.
"Hey, the mute is back," one kid called from the other side of the room.
"Can't believe they haven't kicked you out yet," the boy behind him practically hissed into his ear. Jonghyun closed his eyes, took a deep breath and waited for the teacher to start class.
In the second class of the day, they sat at tables instead of desks. It was normally two people to one table. Jonghyun always sat alone, or at least always had up until now.
"Is this seat open?"
Jonghyun looked up and saw a head with hair dyed an ash blonde. He smiled somewhat uncertainly and shuffled his feet. Jonghyun could only nod, because it was, but he wasn't really sure he actually wanted anyone to sit there. He couldn't remember this boy, he thought, as the guy sat down next to him.
"I'm new, if you hadn't noticed." Oh. That was why. The boy paused before adding, "I'm Taemin. What's your name?"
"Jonghyun," he said quietly, somewhat afraid of drawing attention to himself. He actually considered telling the guy he should find someone else to sit by, because he would likely only bring him trouble, but he couldn't. The friendly smile that lit up Taemin's face was actually comforting.
"Cool," Taemin responded while fiddling with his notebook. "I hope we can be friends, Jonghyun."
He couldn't stop the way his pulse raced with excitement at those words, even when his brain was telling him to be careful still. He didn't know if he could trust this guy or not.
By lunchtime, Jonghyun found out that Taemin was in most of his classes in the morning, something he didn't mind yet. Taemin was still acting as friendly as ever, and the other kids seemed more interested in checking out the new guy than messing with him. He didn't feel completely optimistic, but the day was definitely starting to get better.
He had just been walking towards Key's usual eating spot when he noticed how the atmosphere seemed to change when he got closer. Key was near where they usually sat, but not quite there, talking to Onew in a hushed voice. When he saw Jonghyun he shook his head and signaled him to wait. Jonghyun felt his grip tighten slightly on his food as he wondered where Minho was, if they were still fighting. He could still feel the slight bruise on his back where he'd hit the shelf. Even though it wasn't too bad, he was still angry, but more about Key than himself.
"Hey, there you are," came Taemin's cheerful voice, stepping up beside him. "Where do you usually eat? I'm so lost. I have no idea where to go."
"I'll eat with you," Jonghyun said quietly, and Taemin beamed at him. "My usual spot is taken. Let's find a different one."
During lunch, Jonghyun found out a lot more about his new classmate, and it was actually somewhat distracting from thoughts of Key. Taemin apparently transferred because he was having problems with some of his classmates. He wanted to start out fresh, be somebody that he wasn't ashamed of. So, he had dyed his hair and decided to be a different person. Jonghyun thought he made it sound easier than it had to be, changing like that.
"I'm already doing good though. I've made one friend, haven't I?"
Jonghyun couldn't help but smile. Taemin was actually kind of cute, and he didn't make Jonghyun feel inferior or strange. It was kind of weird how the way Taemin looked at him almost made him feel normal, like he didn't see him like everyone else did, and in that way, he could almost forget about it himself. Maybe it would be okay to make friends with someone like him, maybe.
Chapter Nine